Latest Sprite Stories

ORLANDO, Fla., Oct. 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings, Inc. , today announced that it will be the first airline to serve FUZE Refresh(R), a non-carbonated flavored beverage produced by Coca-Cola North America, onboard all flights effective immediately.

Do giant flashes of lightning striking upwards from thunder clouds merely pose an extraordinarily spectacular view? Or do they actually alter the chemical composition of the atmosphere, playing a role in ozone depletion and the climate on Earth? This is the key question that may be answered by specially designed cameras, which ESA proposes to place on board the International Space Station.

Giant red blobs, picket fences, upward branching carrots, and tentacled octopi -- these are just a few of the phrases used to describe sprites -- spectacular, eerie flashes of colored light high above the tops of powerful thunderstorms that can travel up to 50 miles high in the atmosphere.

An unprecedented flash observed by the space shuttle Columbia crew in 2003 over the Indian Ocean may be a new type of transient luminous event, like lightning sprites, but one that is not necessarily caused by a thunderstorm. The discharge was observed less than two weeks before the shuttle was lost during its Earth reentry.

The black sprite (Pseudagrion commoniae) is a species of damselfly that can be found in Africa. Its range includes Kenya, Somalia, South Africa, and Zambia, among other areas. It prefers to reside in bushlands, woodlands, and savannahs and can be found near water sources like streams and rivers. The population size of this species is unknown, but it is thought to occur in stable numbers throughout its range. It is threatened by habitat loss due to deforestation and water pollution. Research...

The dark sprite (Pseudagrion hamoni), also known as the maroon sprite, drab sprite, or Hamon's sprite, is a species of damselfly that can be found in Africa. Its range includes Algeria, Botswana, Cameroon, the Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, and South Africa, among many other areas. It prefers to reside in bushlands and savannahs near rivers, streams, wadis, and even crater lakes.
The total population number and trends of the dark sprite are unknown. It is...

The crimson sprite (Pseudagrion massaicum), also known as the Masai sprite or the vermillion sprite, is a species of damselfly that can be found in Africa. Its range includes Angola, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe, among other areas. It prefers to reside near streams and rivers in bushlands and savannahs.
The total population number of the crimson sprite is unknown, but it is a locally common species in South Africa. It is thought that...

The powder sprite (Pseudagrion spernatum), also known as the powdered sprite, is a species of damselfly that can be found in Africa. Its range includes Angola, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, and Tanzania, among other areas. It prefers to reside in montane habitats near streams and rivers.
The total population number of the powder sprite is unknown and it is threatened by habitat loss due to agricultural purposes, water drainage, and water pollution. No conservation efforts have...

A pivoted catch designed to fall into a notch on a ratchet wheel so as to allow movement in only one direction (e.g. on a windlass or in a clock mechanism), or alternatively to move the wheel in one direction.